about Orff
what is orff schulwerk?
Orff Schulwerk is a way to teach and learn music. It is based on things children like to do: sing, chant rhymes, clap, dance, and keep a beat on anything near at hand. These instincts are directed into learning music by hearing and making music first, then reading and writing it later. This is the same way we all learned our language.
Orff Schulwerk happens in a noncompetitive atmosphere where one of the rewards is the pleasure of making good music with others. When the children want to write down what they have composed, reading and writing find their moment.
Orff Schulwerk uses poems, rhymes, games, songs, and dances as examples and basic materials. These may be traditional or original. Spoken or sung, they may be accompanied by clapping and stamping or by drums, sticks, and bells.
The special Orff melody instruments include wooden xylophones and metal glockenspiels that offer good sound immediately. Played together as in a small orchestra, their use helps children become sensitive listeners and considerate participants.
With Orff Schulwerk, improvisation and composition start students on a lifetime of knowledge and pleasure through personal musical experience. Learning is meaningful only if it brings satisfaction to the learner, and satisfaction arises from the ability to use acquired knowledge for the purpose of creating. For both teacher and student, Orff Schulwerk is a theme with endless variation.
Historical Time Line of Orff
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1895 | Carl Orff is born |
| 1924 | Carl Orff and Dorothea Gunther co-found the Gunther Schule |
| 1928 | Maendler makes first group of xylophones for Orff |
| 1949 | Klaus Becker starts Studio '49 instrument production |
| 1950 | First volumes in German were published |
| 1956 | Margaret Murray publishes first English adaptation of volumes |
| 1957 | First summer training course for teachers at Royal Conservatory in Toronto conducted by Doreen Hall |
| 1962 | The historic Orff Schulwerk course and conference is held at the University of Toronto. The faculty included Carl Orff, Gunild Keetman, Barbara Haselbach, Lotte Flach, Wilhelm Keller, and Hugh Orr. In The same year MENC featured a demonstration session presented by Doreen Hall and Grash Nash |
| 1963 | Orff Institute opens under the direction of Hermann Regner |
| 1963 | Jane Frazee studies with Doreen Hall in Toronto |
| 1964 | University of Minnesota hosts a four day summer course "The Carl Orff and Other Approaches to Creativity in Elementary Schools" with Robert Borg and Margaret Galloway |
| 1965 | The first English-speaking course is offered at the Orff Institute led by Margaret Murray |
| 1966 | Norman Goldberg begins importing Studio 49 instruments |
| 1968 | American Orff Schulwerk Association formed |
| 1969 | First Orff Echo is published, first annual conference is held in Muncie, Indiana with 170 attendees from 21 states |
| 1970 | South Central Minnesota Orff becomes a certified chapter under Arnold Burkhardt, and becomes the ninth chapter in the country |
| 1974 | First program providing Orff certification through a state department of education is launched at Denver University. |
| 1982 | Carl Orff passes away |
| 1987 | Jane Frazee publishes Discovering Orff |
| 1992 | Arvida Steen publishes Exploring Orff |
| 1995 | A portion of Mary Shamrock's dissertation is published by AOSA titled Orff Schulwerk: Brief History, Description, and Issues in Global Dispersal |
| 2004 | SCMOC changes names and becomes Minnesota Orff |
MnOrff chapter info
The Minnesota Orff chapter takes pride in inviting master teachers from around the country and world, offering workshops at a reasonable price. By meeting 4 times a year, music teachers can get energized with new teaching ideas to bring back to their classrooms.